AUGUSTA (AP) – A legislative committee has rejected a bill that could have led to a state purchase of the Golden Road, the 100-mile roadway that cuts through Maine’s North Woods.

The Transportation Committee’s unanimous vote against the bill Tuesday effectively kills it for the session.

Opponents included the Maine Forest Products Council, which represents loggers and paper companies. The council’s executive director, Patrick Strauch, said the road is not for sale and the state could not afford it anyway.

Strauch also said commercial users were concerned that maintenance would decline of the road was placed under control of the state Transportation Department.

The road, which is now owned by four companies, is designed for off-road vehicles carrying as much as 250,000 pounds of wood.

Rep. Raymond Pineau, D-Jay, sponsored the bill calling for a commission to study the purchase. Pineau said he was concerned that as North Woods lands change hands, traditional access to camps and popular hunting and fishing areas might be lost unless the state takes control.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-03-28-07 1112EDT